We are the Bride of Christ
“…Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.” - Ephesians 5:25-27 NKJV
To fully comprehend the title of this book “Not all Believers will be Raptured before the Imminent Tribulation”, it is necessary to understand our relationship with Jesus Christ through a wedding during the time He was here on the earth. Most of the events that are told to us through the Bible took place in the region of Galilee. In fact, Jesus was a Galilean and so were all of the disciples. The first miracle was at a wedding there in Cana. I would highly recommend that you watch “Before the Wrath” which explains this chapter in a high quality produced movie in a way that goes beyond what I can do here.
A wedding in the time of Jesus was the most important event that happened. It would all start with a written agreement to become engaged, witnessed by the towns people. A dowery would be paid to the bride’s father. The groom is then handed a pitcher of wine. He pours it into a ceremonial cup (called the cup of joy) and offers it to the bride to be. The bride has the choice to accept or reject the proposal of marriage. The betrothal (engagement) would not be accepted unless the bride drank from the cup of wine. If see accepts, the groom then drinks from the cup and says “I will not drink from this cup again until I drink with you in my father’s house.”
During the last supper, Jesus offered a cup of wine to solidify the new covenant with the disciples. After they drank “Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.” Matthew 26:27-29 NKJV The new covenant was a promise that we are going to be together again and it was acknowledge by drinking the wine, which symbolized His blood. This is know to us as communion (common union) and celebrated to today, signifying our oneness (engagement) with Jesus. We are engaged to Him once we have accepted Him, as our Savior. The disciples would have understood the significance immediately, associating it with a wedding.
Getting back to the Galilean wedding, this would have only been the beginning of a year or more long process of preparing for the wedding. Even though they were technically married, it would not be consumed until after the ceremony. The groom leaves and they live apart until that day. He is now responsible for all the preparations for the big day. He must acquire materials and build a new addition onto his father’s house. He must then get all the furnishings and have everything ready.
Jesus told His disciples “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” John 14:2-3 NKJV Where He is we will also be, just like in the Galilean wedding. We are the bride of Christ. The bride during this time also had to prepare. She had to obtain materials and make her dress, along with the bridesmaids. Not only that, but she had to remain pure and vigilant of the grooms return. She had to be ready. Neither the groom or bride knew the day or the hour that the wedding would occur. The only person to know was the groom’s father, the one who wrote the conditions for the marriage and paid the dowery. When the father was satisfied that the home addition was completed to his satisfaction and he had made all the arrangements for the wedding celebration, he would then tell his son to go and get the bride.
Likewise Jesus tells us ““But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.” Matthew 24:36 However, through other prophecy throughout the Bible and from Jesus himself, we can know approximately when His coming will take place. “Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left.” Matthew 24:40-41 This clearly shows that not all are going. ”Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Matthew 24:42-44 He will come in the night unexpectedly.
Back to the Galilean wedding, the bride would sleep in her wedding gown and have oil ready for her lamp because she knew it would be at night and without warning. When the groom comes, she is lifted up off the ground and carried back to his home, just as we’ll be lifted up in the Rapture. From that moment on they will always be together, as we will be with Jesus. The attendees go into the father’s house and the door is locked behind them where they celebrate for 7 days, symbolizing the 7 years that we will have with Jesus during the tribulation. He will come to save us from the judgement and wrath that will come upon the whole world. “Come, my people, enter your chambers, And shut your doors behind you; Hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment, Until the indignation is past. For behold, the Lord comes out of His place To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; The earth will also disclose her blood, And will no more cover her slain.” Isaiah 26:20-21
“But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.” 1 Thessalonians 5:1-10 Not all believers will be raptured before the imminent tribulation. The rapture is conditional and not all believers will be taken. Keeping with the same theme of the Galilean wedding, the parable of the bridesmaids shows that only 5 of 10 were ready.
Just as in the Galilean wedding, the next event is the marriage supper. Jesus said at the last supper “… “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” Luke 22:15-16
“And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said: “The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come. Again, he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.” ’ But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them. But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.’ So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.
“But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
“For many are called, but few are chosen.”” Matthew 22:1-14
“And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.”” Revelation 19:6-9